Of Saviors and Kings
by S Prime
Summary: Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen - Led by a mysterious woman, whose actions will determine the fate of a whole continent; a group of rebels arise from the castle of Volzak and take on the fight take back their own lands from the Zeteginean Empire.
1. Star

_Imperial Year 24_

_Branca 5_

_The day of remembrance… A day forever marked by infamy and a constant reminder of the day that the Zeteginean Empire first tightened its grip upon the free world._

_However, what all but myself ignored, was that it was also my birthday… … …_

_Of course, that fact was always overshadowed by the grim figures that crossed my path even now, as I face the battlefield for the first time in my life._

_It was on this day, twenty-five years ago, that Gran, the last reigning King of Zenobia, expired; murdered… by the hands of the captain of his own royal guard… _

"_The King has fallen!" The couriers had shouted from the top of their lungs. And yet, the meaning behind those words meant little for one such as myself; and even if I had been old enough to understand, I would never have been able fully comprehend the impact of the chain reaction that would soon usher the continent into chaos. _

_For that Endora, the queen of the Highlands, had seized this opportunity to invade her four neighbors; and within months, both the kingdoms of Horai and Ofays fell before the might of the Highlanders; with its four generals, the Devas, drawing ever closer to their true destination._

_Our own capital, fell almost immediately when their longhips reached our borders; and on the same night, the remnants of the royal family were cruelly executed; betrayed, by the petty ruler of one of their own barony._

_Within less than a year, all four of the free kingdoms had submitted to the new Empress's rule, and thus the Zeteginean Empire was born…_

_But of course, an empire forged with blood and lies could only bring more turmoil to an already troubled land; as Endora's regime of terror scoured the land, eradicating the tattered remnants of the old order in the process._

… … …

* * *

What happened afterward… I, Earwind Rheda, remember all too vividly…

My mother, had died giving me birth; or so I was told. And as for my father, it is said that he was an adventurer and a truly wicked man; who left my mother all alone while he went on a foolhardy quest to find the a legendary artifact called the Fireseal; which he apparently hadn't found when his body turned up.

Still, I suppose that I was very fortunate, since a Roshian Temple near Felnamia took me under its wing and raised me according to the teachings of the gods; hoping, that perhaps one day, I would may be able to return the favor; by being indoctrinated inside the cult of Filarrh, the sun god.

However, it seemed like this was not what fate had in store for me; for that, as I aged, they discovered that I lacked the conviction necessary to become a monk, let alone a priestess; and thus, proceeded to teach me the way of the arcanes.

Discipline, which I absolutely despised, for the fact that I had to spend much of my days scouring through dusty tomes; which wasn't exactly the kind of existence that I had envisioned for myself. In fact, I seemed to find more solace within history books and the tales of the Zenobian knights of old, much to the dismay of my most exalted tutors…

It was during those teenage years, that the Empire came to Felnamia, and tried to conscript every able-bodied men into their army; forcing those who did not flee, to swear allegiance to the Empress or return back to the capital in shackles.

Being a woman, and one not especially strong in either faith or sorcery, I was spared; making the monks believe that perhaps I would simply end up as a mere peasant; forced to plow the earth till the day it would finally claim my life as its own.

But this was not meant to be. Later, I discovered that I wasn't the only one to have been spared, and upon meeting this lone crippled guard while on my way to the Volzak's castle, my purpose was finally revealed itself to me.

Through his teaching and my books, I learned the way of the sword as it was learned in ancient times; and thus earned my own keep by performing various deeds for the peoples of our mountainous island.

I was happy then, at peace… But all of this changed the day I heard rumors of a rebellion brewing within the outskirts of the backwater province of Sharom.

I, personally, did not give much credit to this kind of gossip; that is, until the day that a former wizard of the court arrived at our temple's doorstep… This man, dressed in tattered robes, was Warren Moon; and according to the monks, he was a seer, gifted with the uncanny ability to speak with the stars.

Then one day, as I was doing my chores, I accidentally stumbled upon him; and how I regretted the day I ever laid eyes upon him… For that it was on this day, that my trials truly began.

The aged sorcerer stood defiantly before me, his magical aura overwhelming my every sense, as if I was staring at the gods themselves; and he asked me, in a voice that chilled my bone to their very core. "Your name, child?"

Compelled to answer, my own name escaped my lips as he continued to stare confusingly at myself. And then? He just left, veiled in mystery, as I remained then, wondering about what had just come to pass.

Days later, he reappeared before me along with the head of the temple. And together, they explained to me that Warren had consulted the stars, and that I, was the one who was destined to lead the rebellion; which the temple of Filarrh had secretly been sponsoring for a few months now.

I denied everything, believing them to be mad, but the more Warren spoke of what the gods had whispered to him; the more that the veracity of his claims became uncanny…

Still, I was not a soldier; let alone a knight. So, why me?

To be perfectly honest, I had little confidence in my abilities to even be a part of this, so called, rebellion; even though I did sympathize with the numerous victims of the empire, this had nothing to do with me. I was no general, I was no leader.

And yet, who was I to deny the stars? Was I mighty enough to believe myself above the decrees of the gods, or did I simply enjoy the way that they flattered my ego?

And so, as the path opened itself before me, I heeded their commands and walked right through it, unaware, of the horrors that would have to witness during the next few days.

Of course, the wizard was not naïve enough to place me at the head of an army without a proper test of my abilities; and thus he sent me gather my armor and sword before sending me on my way, to find a former Zenobian knight, going by the name of Lans Hamilton; whom I was supposed to convince to join the revolution before returning back to the enigmatic seer.

Strangely enough, though he was undeniably a more formidable than I was, Sir Lans heeded my words, and lent his sword to our cause without a second of hesitation; though I still believed that he was probably far too enthusiastic at the prospect of taking the fight to the Empire and giving far too much credit to Warren's portents.

And indeed, upon returning to him, lightning came out of Warren's fingertips, forcing myself to struggle for my life as the magical energy coursed through my veins. I could not quite understand what he was doing, though I figured that this was probably another of his twisted tests. Not believing my life worth as much as they claimed it to, I charged at the wizard; vainly hoping that I would somehow be able to overpower him before he killed me.

I must really lucky, for that while the mage unleashed his wrath upon me, I noticed an opening between two of his fireballs and brought down my blade upon his person; only to be stopped by a shield of energy, which the latter had conjured as a last line of defense against myself.

"Enough!" Warren said in a thunderous voice. "Your will is satisfactory; the liberation army is now yours to command."

And it was then, that I realized that both the wizard and Lans were bowing before me; as I finally realized the folly of my actions.

I tried to convince them otherwise, but they would hear none of it; whether I liked it or not, I was going to lead them in battle as they marched upon the suburbs of Sharom; if only to prevent me from revealing the location of the rebel army that had gathered in Volzak.

And so, I marched alongside those men and women, who came from just about all classes of society. From the proud knight corps of Zenobia, to former bandits and glory seekers, all of whom had banded up under the singular purpose of reclaiming their lands; and I, was their prisoner…

For two days we set sail to the south, and it was upon reaching the coastal city of Svastpoli, that I was given my first assignment as the leader of the rebellion; which was to liberate the castle of Jindark, before the governor of the Sharom could heard words of our movements.

However, since we lacked the manpower to cover the area extensively, I was relieved to hear that Sir Lans had quite a bit of information about the current state of the region. Since that, back when he was a squire, the former Zenobian knight used to clash with a small group of bandits from this region, that used to be led by Usar the Mighty; of whom Lans had quite an intimate knowledge of, since he spent almost a year chasing him down before the empire granted him entire control of the area.

Also, from what little intelligence we could gather from the locals; we learned that though the empire was nominally in control of the area, Usar's bandits were perhaps the only serious obstacle between us and Sharom's main district; with the latter suffering from a distinct lack of weapons and equipment, which would undeniably play in our favor.

But of course, as you may have noticed by now, I had somewhat resigned to my fate, and had since accepted the fact, that my own freedom and the liberation of this area were intimately related; and this was why, that I decided to acquire an accurate map of the area, and choose to make Warren my immediate advisor, since I obviously did not fit the role of the glorious commander they were expecting.

And later on, I quickly discovered, that even though Lans and Warren were content to carry out my orders; it certainly was not the case for the rest of the army who seemed unable to understand how someone like me could possibly have been placed in charge of an army, even as small as this one.

Who could have blamed them? How were they supposed to carry out the commands of some unknown woman who had never faced the battlefield in her whole life?

There was no other way, if I was to live long enough to see Sharom liberated and go back to Volzak in one piece; I had to earn their trust before I could truly rely on them. I had to prove them, that not only was I worthy of being their leader, but that I was also ready to carry out whatever order I choose to give them.

With that in mind, and my map firmly in hand, I prepared our battle plan; using whatever knowledge I acquired from the libraries of Felnamia, I came to the obvious realization that both Jindark's castle and our own base were surrounded by a huge lake, which made a direct assault nearly impossible for either sides, as two single bridges were the only road left between use and the bandits hideout. Knowing that Lans's and his knights were probably the strongest unit inside out army, I came up with a clever plan, which I hoped would be enough to outsmart the leader of the bandits.

Basically, he and his knights would attack the empire's stronghold through the lake, while me and my own unit would ensnare their forces at the bridge; buying them enough time to dispose of Usar take over the castle before anyone could be warned of our presence.

Much to my surprise, the old sorcerer agreed with me that this was a sound plan, and seemed to understand why I had chosen to place myself on the frontline so soon after being forcibly ousted from my home. However, the revered seer was not foolish enough to expect me to tackle this task on my own, and assigned to me only the most zealous believers of his prophecies; to ensure that whatever happened, I would remain safe long enough for Lans to carry out our plan.

Of course, I made sure that he himself, remained behind at Svastpoli should something unexpected come up; but somewhat, I knew that I would probably regret this decision after my first few encounters with the bandits.

The first battles were fierce, and I certainly was glad that Warren had been wise enough to give me quite a few archers; which made short work of quite a huge number of bandits who seemed to be far too confident in their numbers to carry any strategies short of kill everything in sight. Aside from the occasional imperial knight which I was forced to face personally, I had to say that I was hanging in there; perhaps I could do it, though my belly certainly said otherwise…

However, my previous optimism was quickly crushed as the night fell upon us; the archers could not really tell if their targets were within range, and so they turned to me and my warriors to protect them; while they tried to get a better aim at our foes.

We held the bridge for most of the night; but suddenly something terrible happened… We heard loud noises coming from below, and soon enough, the bridge to shake frantically as I tried to get a proper assessment of our situation… A witch! Riding a giant octopus, along with another, whose tentacles had appeared on the other side of the bridge.

The warcries of the bandits could be heard in the distance, and the giant beast proved to be impervious to all but our most sturdy arrows. And then, suddenly, the foundations of the bridge were crushed into nothingness; forcing me cling to whatever part of the bridge that was still intact, while my archers fell inside the water.

I struggled, desperately, to save my own life. Magical chants, coming from the witch, filled my ears, and I knew then, that this was the end…

My limbs had grown numb, and my own body would not respond to my own will. All I could remember back then, was the sight of the full moon, and the sound of a lone howl that accompanied it… I was truly… as good as dead…

* * *

Well, as you can see, I have obviously gotten back in love with one of my old games, which has suddenly reawakened my interest in writing. Suffice to say, I am very enthusiastic about this project, and for once, I actually happens to have an intricate plan for my storyline, which may bring up quite a few more chapter to this particular story.

Now, let's just take time to mention, that I am not necessarily sticking to the canon storyline of the game; and as such, has decided to use the Female Opinion leader as my main character, much like I did within my own game. Though it should be mentioned that even though her last name is the same as Europea from its immediate sequel, I certainly do not plan to feed the supposition about her effectively being the same person as the Female Opinion leader; evidenced by the fact that I used the original name that I found inside an old Nintendo Power Issue, and hence claiming her persona as my own.

Preview: The governor of the Sharom district has heard words of a rebel army forming in Volzak, and has sent quite a few reinforcements to the ruler of the area, in the form a ravenous beasts coming from his own pens. Giant birds assault the rebels headquarters and Earwind find herself into a rather though spots as the bandits prepare to take away her life. What will happen to our Heroine? And will the rebellion be crushed just as it was born?


	2. Chariot

Everything was chaotic around me…

Alien masses of tentacles and flesh were surrounding us… and I… could distinctly hear my warriors screaming, as the massive beasts began to consume those who hadn't been dragged to the depths.

Behind me, frenzied howls had joined the cacophony, that was filling night air, and I could have sworn that something had jumped over my head about a second ago. I tried to close my eyes… tried to pretend that I was someplace else, but it was no use… No matter how much I tried to resist it, this witch's insidious magic was too strong for me to overcome.

It was hopeless… All I could do was remain there, frozen, as the river suddenly came alive with inhuman noises…

I was glad… glad that I could not see what was going on down there; for that if I could... I would have certainly passed out…

Then suddenly, the chants stopped and I felt the strange sensation that something was trying to drag me back on the bridge. Confused, and firmly convinced that this was one of Usar's bandits; I somehow managed to elude my captor's grasp and ran as far as I could before he could realize what was going on.

Now free from my bondages both physical and magical, I did believe that I could make it…

But unfortunately, about a minute after I had escaped, I was suddenly overwhelmed with nausea and fell on my knees, as the content of my stomach emptied itself upon the ground.

I had never felt so horrible in my life; so much in fact, that I simply could not hold back the flow of tears that were falling down my cheeks… I didn't want to end up like this…

And yet, upon feeling the weight of a firm hand upon my shoulder, I knew then that I was done for. The bandits had finally caught up with me, and there was absolutely no way that I could outrun them in my current state.

Silently, I prayed to Filarrh that they would end my life swiftly; for that to think otherwise was simply unbearable for me. And so, as I began to dread the fate that those sadistic monsters might have in store me, I turned around and realized that the one who had caught up with me was none other than my own advisor, Warren.

And there he was, looking down at this pathetic mess that was myself, as if he could not have cared less if I was alive or dead. "Arise immediately child, we still have much to do, and the night is far from over."

Even more confused than before, I allowed him to help me back up; and upon witnessing the bodies of my archers floating on the river and the monstrous hounds that were feeding on the remains of the bandits; I snapped…

"Let me go…" I whispered loud enough for the old wizard to hear me. "I'm not ready for this… I can't take any more of this…"

Warren stared at me impassively; not even moved by the urgency of my plea. "I never even wanted this, so please… Let me go!"

And yet, no matter how much I would beg, the answer still remained the same… "No"…

* * *

_Imperial Year 25_

Branca 11

_I haven't been the same since that night… And somehow, I doubt that I will ever be able to recover…_

_I try to act normal during the day; I try to maintain the facade that I still know what I am doing. But once the night's falls and that I am finally left with myself… I simply can't hold them back anymore… … …_

_The others know it…After all, how could they not know? Since, Warren's eyes and ears have been shadowing my every movement ever since then. As if they knew, that I was indeed planning to leave this place and never look back… _

_But of course, they could not understand… I doubt that anybody there could have…_

_And somehow… I think that I am just beginning to understand what exactly they signed me up for._

_What happened that night was no coincidence, the governor knew that we were there… Those giant octopus… the giant birds that had swooped down upon our headquarter… They were all HIS doing!_

_Warren was the sole reason I was still alive, and if he hadn't tried to warn me after driving back the griffins from Svastpoli, I would certainly have died._

_I should have known that remaining on that bridge was way too dangerous… I should have known what I was supposed to do once the foundations had started to shake… And those who died on that night shouldn't have had to give up their lives for me, while I didn't have the slightest idea of what I was doing out there._

_And yet, during the celebrations that followed our liberation of the area, it was me… that the peoples were praising…… …_

_They said I was a hero… they kept telling me how grateful they were to be finally free from Usar's clutches; and strangest of all, I actually enjoyed it…_

_But every time I gaze at this stone that the local Roshian temples awarded me, the 'Star of Heroes', I am constantly reminded that this is all a lie._

_While I had indeed managed to buy Lans enough time to deal with Usar and his men, it was still him who had stormed Jindark, with only a handful of knights and hedge wizards. It was him who had truly granted us victory, and him who should have been in charge… not me._

_And yet, he said nothing… Not once during the ceremony, did Warren or Lans mention anything about what happened to me on the bridge of Valikesh; and as far the other members of the rebel army were concerned, I had single-handedly defeated all of the bandits without ever needing help from any of them._

_But deep inside me, I knew that they were wrong…Each and every time my eyes fall upon this accursed jewel, I am forever reminded of how unworthy I am of such an honor._

_I am no hero… I am… just scared…… …_

* * *

I haven't been able to look at Lans ever since…

For some reasons that still escape me, I haven't been able to stand him lately.

And while it may have something to do with the way he congratulated me during the ceremony; I am almost certain that it was all about this habit he had of always referring to me as 'my lady', even though he knew fully well that I had done absolutely nothing to deserve such a title.

Maybe he did not mean to upset me, but each and every time those words escaped his lips, I couldn't help but to feel a rush of anger and shame coursing through my veins; as this kept reminded me of how helpless I was before all that was happening around me.

I despised him… there was no point in denying it…

No matter how much I tried to convince myself that I should not compare myself to one of the knights of Zenobia; my answer always remained the same. I am not worthy of those peoples trust.

I can't help it; I can't help but feel diminished at the sight of his battle-worn armor and his determined blue eyes. And somehow, I think he knew…

I won't be making any more mistakes now; since they won't let me free, then I will just have to lead them from afar. I have already proved my points to the others, and as long as they hold me responsible for the liberation of the borders of Sharom, they will have no choice but to listen to what I tell them.

And so, upon reaching the edges of the Sharomian capital of Parcival; they obeyed, as I ordered them to set camp on the outskirts of Llewlyn.

Maybe I was being a coward; maybe I wasn't anything that Lans was. But if I could somehow manage to outsmart the governor of the district… Then I wouldn't have to through what happened that night ever again… … …

Of course, Warren wasn't exactly pleased with my decision, but as long as I managed to come up with a good battle plan; he had no reason to doubt me, which felt kind of strange actually…

Suffice to say, our intelligence of the area was quite extensive, so coming up with a good plan wasn't exactly that hard.

The main issue with the invasion of Parcival was that it was located at the crossroad of two different imperial roads; each surrounded by both mountains and water. And as if thing could not have been any worse, each of them were supplemented with several cities, to which the imperial army could fall back to should things become a little too though.

The choice however, wasn't exactly easy; while splitting my army across both paths sounded tempting, I suspected that the governor would probably concentrate all of his forces within the main imperial road, and would blockade us at the city of Latingurue should things turned out too sour. And since I already learned the hard way that he would try to sneak a few beasts past our frontlines, I simply could not overlook the path that was leading to the village of Chang'ga.

I hated to have to do this, but I had little choice in this matter… Lans would have to remain behind to protect the camp, while I would also remain there to oversee the assault of Latingurue, through couriers and magical means that Warren would provide.

Perhaps this plan was a little too reckless, but if we could liberate Chang'ga and sneak one or two fighting units on the rear of the enemy lines, then Latingurue would surely fall… and along with it, Parcival…

And strangely enough, I was right…

The governor had done exactly as I had predicted, and while I could not see it myself, it actually felt like I knew what was going on upon the battlefield.

The others were constantly feeding me with information, and for the first time since they had forced me to join this army, it almost felt as if I knew what I was doing.

This feeling was exhilarating, as I moved the pieces across a sheet of paper, all that seemed to matter to me, was of making it to Parcival at all costs. But what I hadn't realize yet, was that I was actually toying with other people's lives…

Even though I had already learned the hard way what those others rebels were going through, it was all a game to me… nothing more.

The strangest however, was that while everything seemed to be going smoothly, my advisor seemed to be hell-bent on bothering me with useless details concerning the area; such as the rumors of a warrior, who had deserted the governor's army, called "the Wind Rider" was living within the town of Bah'Wahl and may be convinced to join us if we could play our cards right. But what I wondered, was why he was bothering me with such useless gossips, especially since Chang'ga had already fallen.

It was only a matter of time before Parcival fell and I had no time deal with this; if Warren wanted to chase ghosts, then he could just do it once we done liberating the area. What was really important, was to ensure that my soldiers knew who was in charge; and while I wasn't exactly liking it, I had to go to the capital and confront the governor myself, even though I had no intentions of fighting him myself.

And so, I left Warren in charge and reluctantly asked Lans and his knights to accompany me, while the rest of the army would be left to deal with the imperial army.

Everything was perfect, as long as things continued the way they were, I wouldn't ever have to face the battlefield again; and soon enough… I would be free to return back home…

But what I hadn't expected however, was that the governor was nowhere to be found…

The governor had sent almost all of his forces to prevent us from making it past Latingurue, and while there were still a few men left to protect the city hall; the man himself, could not be found.

I had my men interrogate the guards, and soon learned, that governor Oblion had gone to his personal pens not too long after the city was breached. Determined not to let him escape, the others urged me to pursue him, which I did, though I wasn't exactly sure what to expect out there.

The pens were exactly what one would have expected, though it somehow looked more like a dungeon than anything else now that most of its inhabitants had been wasted in an attempt to hinder our movements.

And it was only upon reaching the griffins roosts, that I was finally confronted by the governor of the province of Sharom, Gilbert Oblion, himself. The man responsible for all that I had to go through since I joined the rebel army…

Bending over to feed a newborn griffon, the man that was standing before us was pretty much the complete opposite of what I would have expected from an imperial bureaucrat. In fact, Gilbert was already well over his late forties and almost seemed to be carrying the weight of the whole world upon his scar-covered shoulders. And upon hearing the metallic sound of my soldier's boots hitting the floor, I saw him pass his hand inside his snow-white beard as the muffled cries of his griffin were suddenly magnified by our presence.

"So you guys have finally come for me, have you?" Said the governor sighing. "Somehow I knew you would…"

The others suddenly looked to me for guidance, probably expecting me to either give them the order to attack immediately or to at least, provide an answer to the broken man that was before us. "It's over, your army is defeated, and the empire's rule over Sharom has finally come an end. It is time for you to step down, governor."

"Yes, of course, I had already figured out that much." He replied, not really listening, as if he already knew all that I was going to say. "Then, before I do, am I allowed ask you a question?"

"Go ahead, if you must." I answered, as I saw him rise from the ground to face me.

"Why are you guys rebelling against the Empire?"

More concerned at the sight of the whip hanging at his waist, the only thing I managed to come up with was. "Because it's the right thing to do…" And then remembering what the peoples of Sharom had told me back at the ceremony, I went on. "To claim back Zenobia as our own, and to free the peoples from tyrants, like yourself."

Not exactly surprised at my answer, the bald man then continued. "I understand why you people hate the Empire, I don't like em' either. But can you really say that you are so much worse off than the rest of the kingdom?" He asked, not leaving us enough time to answer. "Can you truly say that you are so dissatisfied with the way I run things here in Sharom?"

"What about the conscription ten years ago? Or what about the suburbs that were, until recently, left at the mercy of murderers and bandits?"

"Those were necessary sacrifices to ensure that peace would be preserved!" Angrily replied the imperial governor. "As long I kept Usar and his bandits on a tight leash and did as I was told, you peoples didn't have anything to worry about the Holy Zeteginian Empire! As long as I keep order within Sharom, then we were still allowed to do things our own way, and maintain some manner of independence; unlike all the other provinces of Zenobia."

"Stop lying, filthy cur!" I heard Sir Hamilton yell as the small griffin cowered inside his nest. "Back in the days when Sharom was still independent and maintained good relations with Zenobia, King Gran would never have stood to see this region abandoned, while greedy peoples like yourself were feeding off the peoples misery! The knights of Zenobia won't tolerate this injustice any longer."

Furious, Gilbert answered. "Then help me make it better! Stop this whole rebellion nonsense, and help me restore Sharom the way it used to be! The peoples do not have to suffer any more than they already have; as long as we listen to what the Empire has to say, we can still make this a better place."

"But what about the rest of the kingdom?" I asked, not really knowing why. "Things won't change if you just remain there and do nothing. What you are proposing is not an option; it won't solve anything."

Governor Oblion cast his eyes to the ground and remained silent for a moment, as if he was actually pondering what I had just said. And upon raising his head, I could clearly see his eyes turn to the consistency of iron. "I can't let you guys ruin the peace that I have worked so hard to achieve. I have to protect my peoples and so you leave me no other choice…"

Upon hearing those words, I felt a sense of dread come over me… Something terrible was about to happen… I just knew it.

* * *

It was kind of hard to get this chapter right, but what its worth, and though the liberation of Sharom may seem, once again, a little rushed; we have to remember that Earwind didn't actually take part in most the fighting that took place during this time. And to be honest, this is somewhat the strategy that I adopt during the first two REAL stage of the game. I send the opinion leader get 2-3 levels during "Sharom Border's" and then finish the job with the others while waiting until "Pogrom Forest" or "Island Avalon" to get some boost to my ALI.

However, what I really like about "Chariot" is that it gives us an insight at what a contradicted person the Opinion Leader probably was, during the beginning of the rebellion. I mean you get Lans who has this killer level 4 units, while your Opinion Leader is still level 1.

Perhaps this would cause some kind of tension between the two of them, as our favorite knight might unknowingly be undermining his authority. And while Earwind doesn't want to get involved, she still hates the fact that he is not in charge and as such not only admires him, but despises him for what she is not; making her somewhat take her role more seriously and thus embarking on her true journey as the true leader of the rebellion.

Preview: Forced to contend with the iron resolve of the governor of Sharom, Earwind is once again placed in danger as Gilbert's reveals his last trump card. Will our unlikely heroine succeed to vanquish her own fears and liberate Sharom once and for all? Or will she crumble under the weight of her own fear and become unable to do what she has to?


	3. Fool

"Pandora! Torios!" The governor yelled, as the sounds of heavy footsteps resonated inside the pens.

Visibly lost, I saw Lans and his knights unsheathe their weapons; only to end up doing the same, once two massive scaled beasts, stepped out of the shadows.

I used to believe that those creatures were only legends; that they were just something that our elders had come up with, to prevent us from wandering too far into the wilderness. But upon seeing those leathery wings and those jagged tails that could easily have impaled a boar from one side to another; I knew, that those were indeed, Wyrms…

Most of us had never seen a Wyrm so closely in their lives, and a wave of panic traveled through us as Gilbert made them roar with a single snap of his fingers.

Unshaken by this sudden display of power, Lans stepped forward. "Fiend, what kinds of dirty tricks are you trying to pull now?" He asked, with a voice untainted by fear. "Your days are numbered, imperial puppet; desist now, or suffer the consequences."

But of course, Lans bravery would certainly not be enough to confront this new foe; and Gilbert seemed to be perfectly aware of that fact. The governor remained secure in his resolve; untying his whip from his belt, Gilbert stared right back at us, with a fierceness that belied his somewhat frail build. "The peoples of Sharom were always like Wyrms…" He replied, lashing out mercilessly at his charges. "No matter how much you feed them, no matter how well you mean; they'd much rather eat their own tail than rely upon the kindness of others!"

The knights surrounding me braced their shield, their hand still trembling as the beast tamer drove his beasts ever closer toward us. "They're far too prideful; they have to hunt for their own food or they'll let themselves die from hunger!

With one swipe of its mighty claw, the Wyrm, referred to as Pandora, cleaved through the shields of my knights Seeing this, the soldier, that was standing closest to Torios, dropped his weapon and tried to flee; but too late did he realize that reptile's tail had already coiled around his leg, leaving him completely defenseless as the monstrous beast gnawed off his head.

None were prepared for what was happening around us, and while Lans's knights were doing their best to hold them off, we were soon separated into two groups as governor Oblion drove his beasts to the pinnacle of their frenzy. I soon found myself stuck into a corner with a handful of my men; afraid, and not quite such what I was supposed to do.

The massive beast towered above us, casting his shadow all over us. "Reality is very different from ideals…"

And then, one by one, the knights, that were standing before me, were swept aside by Torios; until that finally, I was standing alone, before the monstrosity that shouldn't have existed in the first place.

I raised my sword, tried to protect myself; but I too, was sent plummeting on the ground…

Above the ruckus, I heard Gilbert's whip fall down upon the Wyrm's hide; causing it to roar once more as its maw was filled with saliva and blood. "They don't know what's good for them, so you have to tell them what they want to hear, in order to protect em' from themselves!"

I raised my head, tried to make sense of my surrounding, only to discover that my weapon had been knocked off my hand during my fall. I heard Lans yell something, but somehow I couldn't quite make sense of what he was saying. And so, the reptilian beast finally reached me… I… couldn't do anything…

And so, as tried to stand back up, the reptilian beast rammed into me. "Look out, my lady!" Only to end up banging its head upon Lans's shield.

Visibly unnerved, Torios roared, made even more angry by the knight's bravado. But Sir Hamilton would not let himself be intimidated; the beast opened its mouth and then Lans trusted his arm up to his forearm inside the beast's maw, his blade piecing the fragile flesh inside its throat.

The Wyrm's pain seemed unbelievable and while I was still frenetically looking for my weapon, Lans called one of his men to his side, and eventually vanquished the massive reptile, who had escaped Gilbert's control.

The governor was furious, those creatures were like his own children; and so, he too joined the fray, helping Pandora fend off her attackers as the other beast, fell lifelessly upon the ground.

The fight was not easy, but the knights had finally managed to rally together and under their combined assaults; the last creature, also fell.

Upon seeing this mess, Gilbert fell on his knees; all was lost. The beasts he had brought up from the egg were slain, Parcival itself had fallen under the might of the rebel's army; and all that remained, was him.

Meanwhile, I had finally managed to retrieve my sword, and was now heading strait for the governor; if only not to have to think about whether I should be relieved or ashamed at the fact that Lans had, once again, saved our lives…

"I… I thought that stopping to fight the Empire was the best thing for this kingdom… But maybe…" Said Gilbert as Sir Hamilton reached my side. "Maybe it was just a lie… … … Do what you will with me, I care not. I have failed this kingdom, failed my army, and more importantly, I have failed my people…"

Everyone seemed to be expecting that Sir Hamilton or me would end his life on the spot. But Lans actually seemed to believe that this task wasn't his to accomplish; and so, as everyone were looking at me, I raised my blade and…

"Everyone, wait!" The governor's eyes were still cast to the ground as I prepared to execute him, but I was stopped by a voice that was coming from further behind us.

"Please, you've got to believe me…!"

I turned around, and saw a flamboyant winged warrior rush inside the room as if his own life was at stake. "Gilbert didn't want to fight you guys or stand with the Empire!"

"Who are you?" I asked, not quite sure what to make of this muscular hawk man.

The redheaded warrior then tried to answer, but was stopped by a wizard in dusty robes that stepped from the shadows. "This man is Canopus Walf, the Wind Rider…"

I watched in disbelief as Warren mentioned these last few words and felt an unpleasant sensation growing inside of me. "This man used to serve in governor Oblion's army before Sharom was annexed by the Empire; and has come to enlighten us about the governor's true motive in this matter."

"You've got to believe me, Gilbert didn't like the Empire any more than you guys; he just wanted to save his people, that's all! Please spare him, he isn't such a bad guy, he just got caught up in all this."

Gilbert remained silent this whole time, not even willing to defend himself; but upon realizing what I was about to do, I… I dropped my weapon…

The sound of the metal, falling upon the solid floor, resonated inside the griffon pens. And eventually, it was Gilbert finally broke the silence and replied. "It doesn't matter why I did it, Canopus! I am a traitor to this kingdom. I have helped perpetrate the illusion of the false peace that the Empire has been promoting, and nothing will ever change that fact." He turned back to me and then went on as his former friend stared at him in disbelief. "Finish me, that is all a traitor like me deserves."

My advisor spoke once more. "With all due respect, governor. Life is cheap, especially in time of war; but right now, your life is not worth taking. Surely, even you can understand this. While you may have made a mistake, wouldn't you rather set things right, before death finally claims you?"

Governor Oblion stared back to the winged warrior. "Forgive him, guys, I'm he'd be willing to help you out; should you give him the chance."

Cowering under Warren's gaze and deeply ashamed of my misjudgment, I answered. "Fine…"

The others did not seem exactly thrilled, but Gilbert nonetheless raised his head in disbelief. "You would forgive me?… I…" The old man didn't quite seem to find the words to express what he was feeling right now. "Then I… I will pledge my life you, m-my lady! I swear that as long as there even a sparkle of life left inside this body, I will keep fighting for your cause…"

* * *

_Imperial Year 25_

_Branca… … I seem to have lost track of the date…_

_It was done; Sharom was now officially liberated from Empire's rule and would, from now on, be known as the birthplace of the Zenobian Revolutionary army…_

_Our ranks were swelling, peoples from every corner of the province had come to serve under our banner, and we had also earned staunch allies in the form of Gilbert's newly trained griffins and Canopus's hawk men company._

_The peoples were overjoyed with our success; but those of us who were part of the command chain knew far too well that it was only a matter of time before the Empire sent someone competent to pacify the region…_

_Plans were already under way to march upon the Zenobian capital, and while our morale was greatly improved by our recent victories, I knew fully well the difficult choices that lay ahead of us._

_While we could have headed strait for the capital, through the Pogrom Forest, this region was still largely uncharted since the end of the war; leaving us with little choice but to rush blindly with no idea of the size of the enemy forces. Even though taking this shortcut may have sounded tempting, there was still the matter of the liberation of the lower kingdom, whom had already suffered far too much under the rule of the Zeteginian Empire; but to do so would leave us far too much behind schedule to prevent the them from sending reinforcements to the capital._

_I knew that I was making a mistake, but in the end, I decided to split our army in half. Maybe it was petty and selfish of me, but I could no longer stand Lans presence around me anymore; and so I ordered him to free the lower regions, while me and Warren would rush through the Pogrom Forest…_

_I believed that I would still have done the same, even if this opportunity hadn't presented itself; but deep inside me, I knew, that Sir Hamilton was not at fault… … I was…_

_Back when we liberated Parcival, my advisor had taught me a harsh lesson; one which, in my haste, I had failed to grasp when the time came to conquer the area. I had failed to hear what the people had to say, I had failed to see to it that Canopus joined our ranks; and if it weren't for him, I would have probably executed the former governor under the pressure of my peers…I had failed to see what was going on outside my own tent, since I was so afraid of facing the battlefield again; and by doing so, I had endangered the lives of each person that constituted our army…_

_I could no longer flee my responsibilities…No matter how much I wanted to go back home, it was already too late to turn back; now that we had reached the edges of the Pogrom Forest, I could no longer head back to Volzak on my own. And while I could have made a run for it, I was still terrified at the thought of what I might find along the roads…_

_I had no other choice now, my only way out was to help the rebels in the liberation of Zenobia; and only then, would I truly, be free. I had to toughen up in order to save everyone else, from myself…I have to grit my teeth and face the battlefield once more; for that only then, would I be able to see this through._

_I would lie if I said that I wasn't afraid; but maybe with proper planning, just like with everything else, I would be able to do it… … …_

_

* * *

_

**Preview:** For years, the Pogrom Forest had always stood as a grim monument of the war that took place twenty-five years ago; and while most peoples gave this area a wide berth, there were still those who were foolish enough to thread its soils. Forces, much darker than anything the rebels might have imagined, are insidiously bending the forest to their will; and Earwind will have to face her worst fears if she hopes to make it through the night…


End file.
